The town of Hopkinton, Mass. is the latest to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, as on Monday night the town’s board of health approved the idea, as well as revised existing language in the town code to define alternative tobacco products and add them to the age increase.
Neither the board nor the town has not posted the full ordinance, which was approved by two of the board’s three members, with the third member absent from the meeting.
According to a report from MetroWestDailyNews.com, the increase came at the request of 11-year-old Logan Sullivan, who wanted to see his town join the Tobacco 21 movement. His fifth-grade teacher suggested he present the idea to the town selectmen, who referred him to the board of health.
It’s a change from the board’s position five years ago, when a similar increase was defeated when then-board chairman Mark Gates said that such an increase should be passed via the Town Meeting or a similar process as opposed to the board making the decision.
The date the increase goes into effect has not yet been announced, though HCAM.tv reports that the board was leaning towards July 1, 2018.
Hopkinton is located 36 miles southwest of Boston and has a population of approximately 15,000 people.